Roseate Spoonbill

The most unique aspect of the Roseate Spoonbill is the attribute for which it is names.
Its very long red colored spoon shaped bill.

It has a white head and chest and light pink wings which have a deeper pink surrounding the edges of them. Its legs are dusky pink as well.

Both males and females are colored in the same way although the male is larger than the female and has a longer bill.

Roseate Spoonbill

They are not large birds, being just about two feet in length, but their wingspan is over four feet across.

Roseate Spoonbills range around the coastal areas, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida. It is also found in the tropics in South America.

The roseate spoonbill likes brackish type water and will live in areas where the water remains stagnant such as ponds and smaller lakes and swampy areas.

They spend a great deal of time in shallow waters eating as they need a great many more calories a day to live.

They will move their bill from side to side while it is open and it will sift food from the water and mud such as small fish, shrimp and snails and other insects.

Inside of the bill are receptors that help it touch and feel the food so it knows when it has prey in its mouth. The spoonbill, like the flamingo gets its pink color from the foods that it eats.

Some of the shelled animals it fees on eat algae that will give the feathers of the spoonbill the dark dusky pink color.

Males and females join as a team for the breeding season and the male helps with building the nest as well as incubate the eggs.

The female spoonbill lays two to four eggs in about three weeks they hatch and are completely white in color.

Roseate chicks are not fully mature until they are about three years old.

Find out more about the Roseate Spoonbill over at Wikipedia »